


Shadows of the Night

by Semperfidani



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo is a Mess, Comfort Sex, Devoted Reylo, F/M, Healing Sex, Loneliness, Misunderstandings, Prostitution, Rey (Star Wars) is a Mess, Reylo - Freeform, Sex for Hire, Smut, Squint closely and you'll see Pretty Woman vibes, Transactional Exchange, Virgin Rey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:46:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21853933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semperfidani/pseuds/Semperfidani
Summary: Driven by loneliness, Ben hires Rey for the evening, and the transactional relationship becomes something entirely more.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 27
Kudos: 208





	Shadows of the Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [deadlikemoi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadlikemoi/gifts).



> Dear Amanda, 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. xo.
> 
> Your Pink Lady Sister!

__

_And now the hands of time are standing still._

_Midnight angel, won't you say you will?_

_We're running with the shadows of the night._

_So baby take my hand, it'll be alright._

_Surrender all your dreams to me tonight._

_They'll come true in the end._

[ ~Pat Benatar, Shadows of the Night. ](https://youtu.be/vqkvmHcZkMs)

* * *

Ben turned his right signal on, carefully looking toward the left, before inching his Audi forward to complete the turn. 

_I shouldn’t be here_ , he thought to himself as he slowly drove the car along the street, lowering his head to peer out of the right window. _Pathetic._

His eyes rested on three women leaning against a graffiti-filled wall that had an old, tattered, 2008 Obama Hope poster. He slowed his Audi to a stop against the curb as he appraised his prospects. 

His eyes rested first on the tall Nordic blonde with pale skin, an icy smile, and a silver dress with silver heels. _Too much._

He moved on to a petite Asian woman with a wide smile shining bright against her creamy skin. She wore a tight red mini-skirt with black fishnet stockings and yellow heeled stilettos. _Too flashy._

Finally, his eyes settled on slightly taller than average brunette with her hair tied up in three distinct but soft buns, a scattering of freckles across her heart-shaped face. She wore a basic white wrap dress, tied with a brown belt, and knee-high black boots. She looked a bit nervous, biting her lips and standing in a way that almost suggested as if she didn’t want to be doing this. But at the last moment, her hazel eyes met his golden brown ones. 

Maybe it was just in his toxic mind, wrapped up in a combination of poisonous insecurity and profound loneliness, but judging the stirring of his member, he felt a connection he had never felt before. _She was perfect._

He rolled down the window and pointed towards the brunette. “You,” he called out, his loud voice booming across the alley. “How much?”

She turned to her friends, and the blonde looked at him assessing before bending to whisper in her ear. Whatever was said must have shocked her, because she quickly covered that shock up with faux-confidence.

“Two hundred and fifty per hour.” She bit her lip, as if she was sure he would turn her down. 

“Done!” He pressed the unlock button and waited for her to enter. 

The Asian girl reached up and gave her a hug, and Kylo could just barely make out the words “take care of you.” The blonde slipped something in her hand, and she promptly slid it into her purse. _Probably drugs of some sort._

With a final look back at her friends, she slipped into the passenger side of the car. The door was barely shut before he sped off, the wheels squealing in the wake.

They drove for about ten minutes in silence, the city lights flashing by as they traveled past the seedy part of town full of no-tell motels that charged by the hour, before transitioning into average suburbia, with modest bungalows with community schools and parks, before finally entering the more sophisticated side of town, where communities had gates and perfectly trimmed hedges for maximum privacy. Rey was expecting to pull into one of the seedy motels. Now she was mentally calculating how much a Lyft would cost her to get back home, as she was certain there was no way public transit came out to these neighborhoods. 

Rey bit her lip, staring curiously at the driver next to her. He was handsome in an unconventional way, the sum being greater than the individual parts. His aquiline nose was teetering on just being a bit too long. His pale face was scattered with moles, and his dark chocolate brown hair was long, settling just above his shoulders. He was broad in physique, and intense in demeanor, the way his large hands gripped the steering wheel as if clinging to control, his dark brown eyes staring intently on the road. She could just make out a nervous twitch from his eyebrow in the darkness of the car. His full lips were pursed in restrained concentration, as if he wanted to say something but was trying to constrain himself. 

She fidgeted in her seat anxiously, the silence almost a bit too much. Rose had told her that clients were usually chatty in a cheesy kind of way, but this man was anything but. Remembering Phasma’s advice to be friendly, Rey turned slightly with a smile.  
  
“I’m Rey,” she offered, mentally scolding herself for offering her real name. She was supposed to use the name Kira, and already she fucked up.

He didn’t reply. The only tell that he heard her was the way his hands flexed on the steering wheel.  
  
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Rey’s tried again, trying to squash the nervousness she felt. She hoped he didn’t hear the nervous inflection in her voice. “Where exactly are we going?”

His eyes flickered to her quickly before he slowed down car to signal, before pulling into an underground parkway attached to a skyscraper overlooking the river. 

“You will be safe with me, I promise,” he replied before pulling into a reserved spot. He cut the ignition before he turned to her, staring at her intently. “My name is Kylo, and this is my home.”

He turned to exit, and before she could do the same, he was at her door, opening it and extending his hand to help her out. _If nothing else, his manners were impeccable._

She walked with him to the elevator, standing nervously beside him. Her head came up to his shoulder. Once inside, he swiped a card and pressed the letter P. The door shut and it immediately lifted upwards, bypassing the main lobby. Once they arrived to the top, he swiped his card again, and the doors lifted into an elegant marble lobby marked with a mahogany table with an assortment of mail. The lobby lead into an immaculately designed living area, with hardwood floors and immaculate but comfortable earth tone furnishings, set against the backdrop of wall-to-floor windows that overlooked the ocean.

“Your purse.”

Rey startled from her inspection of his house, his voice causing her to stumble. “Pardon me?”

“I saw your friend hand you something, and I don’t allow drugs in my home...anymore.” He held his hand out expectantly.  
  
“These are my personal belongings. I’m not giving you anything!” Rey spat, scrunching her face up in anger, the words flowing out of her mouth. “You don’t own me” 

“At the rate I am paying, I, in fact, do own you. Isn’t that how these transactional relationships work? I pay you, you do whatever I tell you to do.” He paused, looking at her up and down. “You know I can take whatever I want.”

“I’m a hooker, not a whore. I don’t need this,” she quickly turned to head to the lift. “I’m outta…” She barely finished her sentence before he grabbed her arm, and swung her back towards him. She collided with his chest and he pinned her close to him. 

“Don’t go,” he breathed into her hair, a hint of desperation intertwined with his plea. “Please...just stay. I’ll...I’ll pay you ten thousand to stay the night.”

She lifted her head to stare at him in the eye. She saw something familiar in his golden brown eyes ― that aching loneliness and longing for belonging. 

“Please.”

“Fine. But don’t question my integrity again. You don’t know anything about me. Nobody does,” she said, pulling from her embrace and resuming a professional air.  
  
He turned to walk into his living room, quietly mumbling to himself. 

“But I do.”

* * *

An hour had gone by and he could tell that Rey was thoroughly confused. 

_Hell, so am I._

Earlier, he had offered her an Prosecco with a touch of Aperol liqueur and orange syrup, rimmed with a slice of candied orange. He watched in the reflection of the window as she slowly slipped the drink with her luscious lips, her lips quietly smacking in satisfaction.

She was sprawled across the settee, her boots kicked off to reveal small but delicate feet, her skirt riding up past the thigh in a tantalizing way. Beside her on the side table was an empty plate that once held an assortment of cheeses and pickles, one that she devoured as if it were her last meal.

An hour earlier, Rey, in a gesture of good faith, presented her purse for inspection. To his relief, and embarrassment, there was nothing her wallet, her out-of-state identification, a copy of her latest STD test taken earlier that morning at the emergency health clinic, a package of condoms, and a roll of breath mints.  
  
She had made a suggestive move, but he pushed her aside and offered her some food.  
  
Now, an hour later, they sat in silence, watching the occasional boat sail by, their lights reflecting off the water.

He watched her in the reflection put the glass down on the coaster, and walk to drape her arms around his neck, pressing kisses along his jaw. He gently removed her arms and motioned for her to sit next to him. 

They sat in silence for a little longer. Rey looked at him inquisitively, making him squirm under the inspection. 

“My name is B… Kylo Ren. I’m the CFO of a Fortune 500 company run by a tyrant who controls my life. I’m isolated from my family, and my only comfort is having more money than I can ever hope to spend. If I want, I can have any woman in my bed at the snap of a finger — for a price.” 

Ben paused to slip his whisky, staring at the ice cube intently as his mind made the painful journey down memory lane.

“Ten years ago, I walked away from my family without a second glance. Five years ago yesterday, I took my father’s company out from him and broke it into pieces to be sold off. Five years ago today, he died in my mother’s arms, and I didn’t even have the class to attend the funeral of the man whose heart I broke.” He broke off with a choke, as if stifling a sob. “I’m a coward. I’m a horrible monster. And I’ve never felt so alone.” 

Rey instinctively leaned into him, reaching for his hand. He lifted his head up to stare at her tiny palm in his large hand. The last time anyone showed him compassion was his mother, who grabbed his hand to plead with him, just before he broke her heart and left home without a backward glance. Ten years of being formed into the man Snoke promised he would be, and he felt more miserable and broken now then he ever did in his dysfunctional childhood home. Yet here was someone, with literally nothing, showing him more compassion then he deserved to receive. 

“You know what I envied about you tonight?” He whispered, staring intently at his hand as she stroked his knuckles with her forefinger. The sensation of touch for the purposes of comfort was something foreign and unfamiliar; it was a feeling he hadn’t felt since he was young, when his mother stroked his back to comfort him after a fall. 

“Me?” She replied, the lilt of her British accent becoming more pronounced as she sat in genuine shock. “What is there to be envious of me?”

“When I pulled up, you had two friends that cared about you, and they were clearly looking out for your best interests. I’ll never know what that feels like.” He dropped his head with a deep sigh at the admission, a touch embarrassed at the truth of his life. Years of being told that relationships were a sign of weakness in a dog-eat-dog work environment.

Rey moved from her chair to kneel in front of him, her hands resting in his as she assumed a submissive pose. Ben spread his legs a bit wider to let her settle in-between them.

“Kylo, what you saw tonight is a mirage,” she said softly, her voice barely above a tremble. She looked down at their joined hands, biting her lips as if considering her next words. “Tonight…” she paused to formulate her words. “Tonight was my first night.”

Kylo froze in shock, his mind digesting the words, as she continued on.

“The blonde woman, Phasma?” She paused, her face scrunching with digest before breaking into a bitter laugh. “She was just there to supervise and show me how to negotiate, and to ensure I didn’t back out. She is simply protecting my pimp’s investment. The other girl, Rose? She is the girlfriend of Finn, a prostitute himself, and my only friend from school.”  
  
He sensed there was more to the story, and pressed her hand, as if encouraging her to carry on with her story.  
  
“I was an orphan, traded to my parents drug dealer for a hit.” He frowned, a flash of anger coursing through him as a tear slid down her beautiful face. He forced himself to remain calm. “The man who raised me was cruel and vile. He fed me when he felt like it, forced me to work in his pawn shop and even made me do drug runs on occasion. I went to school with hand-me-downs that I either got for a five-finger deal from a thrift shop, or for free from the local parish. I had to borrow textbooks from the school library. I was invisible, and my grades suffered, so I couldn’t qualify for scholarships to go to college. But I was smart with fixing things. When I was 17, I got a secret job at a garage and was paid under-the-table so that I could save for college. Plutt, my guardian, found out and stole my money and kicked me out. I was alone, with no money. My options were the streets or Finn’s place, but they made it clear that I had to contribute right away. Without a proper education, I couldn’t get a job, and the few restaurants that were hiring wanted people with experience. It was Rose who hooked me up with her pimp.”

Silence crept into the room, like a thief in the night. She moved from her knees to sit between his thighs, her back to him as they both stared out of the window. He met her eyes in the reflection.  
  
“This was my first time seeking an escort. It’s important you know that I don’t actually do this often...at all.” He ran his hand through his hair, then rested them on her shoulders, her head between his hands and his thumbs softly stroked the base of her neck.

“I work for a soulless company, where relationships beyond the casual fuck are discouraged. I sacrificed everything, including my happiness, to get where I am. I closed a deal today that would force a thousand people to be laid off. My boss, Mr. Snoke, called me into the office, poured me a glass of scotch, and said “I’m proud of you son.” Today, on the anniversary of my father’s death no less, the same man that forced me take out my own father, called me a son. It should have felt good, being recognized by the man who mentored me. But instead, I felt a hollow ache. I felt simply like a dog who pleased his master.” He bowed his head in shame, biting his trembling lips. 

“I thought about my mother, alone at home, with nobody, while I sat there being patted on my head by a man who, in actual fact, could give two shits about me unless I sink to his level. And I looked all around me and realized I had nothing in the everything. I was alone, and mirror image of the man I actually despised. All those promises of greatness, and I was anything but great. And I was so, so, alone,” he paused to look at her. “I wanted something...someone...to fill that void tonight.”  
  
“Why don’t you leave?” Rey asked, slightly turning to face him with concern.  
  
“How can I go home when I burned all of my bridges? What mother would want a monster like me back in her life?” 

“Kylo…” 

“It’s Ben,” he cut her off. “My actual name is Ben.”

“Ben…” Rey experimented with the name as it rolled off her tongue. “Ben, it’s not too late. You won’t know unless you try. And I’ll help you, if you’ll let me.” She turned to face him, back on her knees. “You’re not alone.”

“Neither are you,” he replied softly. His heart beat loudly - so loud he wondered if she could hear the force of his blood - as he looked down at her. 

He reached for her and lifted her easily, before sliding her onto his lap. She wound her arms around his neck instinctively, and he pressed his right hand against the small of her back as his left brushed a stray curl around her ear.  
  
He leaned tentatively forward, and the last thing he saw was her eyes closing as she leaned forward into his kiss. 

Their lips met, soft and gentle at first, before his tongue pressed forward at the seam, causing her mouth to instinctively open. He pressed his tongue further inside, their tongues clashing like swords, and he deepened his kiss as if fighting for dominance. But her tongue would dominate him, causing him to moan deep into her mouth, turned on by her sudden aggression. 

He bent and gathered her into his arms in a bridal carry before striding across the loft, his lips never leaving hers. She reached her arms around him, as if never wanting to let go. He lowered her gently onto his bed, his eyes half-shut in desire, and she leaned up on her elbows and watched as he undid his tie, tossing it aside before beginning to undo his buttons, his large fingers struggling to get the buttons undone.  
  
She rapidly scrambled into a kneeling position and reached up to finish the job, and they stared at each other as her fingers trailed down his chest like a whisper. With a silent nod, she reached for his belt buckled and button, and his trousers slid down his legs with a quiet thunk as the wallet in the back pocket made contact with the floor.  
  
He stood there in black briefs, his erection obvious. She licked her lips in nervous anticipating, and he inhaled sharply at the slight pink of her tongue. 

He reached down to lower the skirt off her shoulder, and she submitted obediently, dropping her shoulders so the dress slid off easier. Her hair tousled a bit from the friction of the shirt, causing one of her buns to come loose. She reached up, her white lace bra straining against her breast, to remove the other buns, and her hair gently fell down in soft curls to her shoulder. 

He continued to watch as she reached behind to unclasp her bra, letting it slide down her arms. She crossed her arms across her breast in embarrassment, her cheeks tinged read as she looked down onto the duvet. “I’m sorry they are so small.”

He bent down between her legs, his large frame causing her thighs to spread wider, exposing her pubic bone as her skirt rode up her waist. He leaned forward to lick his tongue against her small brown nipple, flickering his soft tongue over and over until she leaned her head back in a moan.  
  
He trailed his fingers up her thigh until they made contact with the hem of her panties. He smiled to himself at the knowledge that the seam of her underwear was wet, which caused his cock to painfully harden. His fingers tucked inside the seam until they made contact with her wet cunt. He slipped one finger slowly inside of her, parting her folds gently, while continuing to lap her breast up like a cat with a bowl of cream. 

She moaned out loud, her body shivering with desire. “Ben, I want…” she trailed off. 

“I know, Sweetheart. I want it too. I just need to prepare you.”

“I’m prepared, I promise. I want you now!” She cried out as he continued to probe deeper inside of her, and her body shook as her first orgasm overtook her. 

After she came down from her state of euphoria, he quickly stood to shed his underwear. Her eyes widened at the size of his large cock, his tip glistening with pre-cum. 

She reached forward to grab it, but he stopped her hands. “No.”

She paused, looking up with sudden sadness. “Is there something wrong with how I’m doing this?” Her voice was small with insecurity.  
  
He leaned forward to press his head against her forehead. “No, you are…,” he trailed off to look at her with a smile. “You are absolutely perfect. I want to treat you like a princess for the gift you are about to give me. You deserve to have this moment without my selfish needs in the way.”

He pressed his lips to her and then pulled her up so that he could push the blankets aside, before lowering her on the silk sheets. He crawled into join her, quickly turning to pull her into the embrace.  
  
“Rey, if at any time you want me to stop, say so. I won’t do anything without your consent,” he said, his voice dropped in a low whisper.

Her eyes glistened in appreciation and she smiled, reaching her arms around him to pull him closer, their hearts beating in unison as they pressed their chests together. They stared at each other before she subtly nodded her consent.  
  
He reached for a condom and she stopped him. “Are you clean? I have an implant.”

“I am. I haven’t had sex in a long time and I was tested six months after my last partner. I’m clean too. Are you sure? I don’t mind.” 

She nodded and he smiled back to her. 

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispered into her hair.  
  
“Yes. You do. And I you,” she whispered into his shoulder.  
  
He lowered her back to the blanket, before straddling her on top, his arms pushing him upwards so as to not smother her with his weight. He lined himself up and lowered himself gently, pulling her into his embrace and peppering her with soft kisses as he pushed himself gently forward. His tip breached her hymen, and she shook at the slight tear. He paused as to allow herself to adjust, and at her nod, she pushed forward a bit more at a time, until she bottomed out.  
  
“More,” she whispered in awe, and began pulsing back and forth into her until he could feel her vaginal wall clench around his shaft. 

“Come for me baby. I’m about to cum. Let’s do it together,” he panted, pushing faster and faster until she cried out. A second later, he cried out as his seed spilled pulsing into her until he was completely empty. He pulled out, their bodies sweaty, and he collapsed beside her an a rigorous pant.

After a few moments of recovery, they got up to clean themselves up a bit, before he grabbed her hand to drag her back to the bed.  
  
She quickly dove under the comforter. He joined her, laying on his back as she curled into his body, nesting her head on his chest. They laid like that for hours, gently talking about their lives, until she nodded off, gentle snores reverberating off his skin.

He gently smiled as drool began to spill down her mouth onto his armpit. He gently pushed her to the side so that her head nestled into the pillow, and turned his body on his side, resting his head on his pillow, as he watched her sleep.

The last thought in his head as he drifted off was that he loved her and never wanted to let her go.

* * *

Rey woke up with a start, her eyes adjusting to the bright light as the morning sunshine streamed across the bedroom. The space beside her was empty. 

She got up and was in mid-stretch when she paused. On the nightstand was a bundle of hundred dollar bills.  
  
Her heart fell, and her throat tightened like a rock. She quickly got up and dressed, humiliation pouring into her soul. She could hear shower noises from the bathroom, and she quickly searched the room for her bra, coming up empty. “Fuck it. He can keep it.”  
  
She quickly scrambled out as she heard him turn off the taps. She quickly fled his loft, the door clicking behind her as the bathroom door opened. 

She ran to the elevator and pressed the down button, tears falling freely. 

“Rey?” Ben said with a smile as he dragged a towel through his hair as he entered his bedroom, another towel wrapped around his waist. “What do you want for break…” His voice dropped off when he realized he was speaking to an imprint in his sheets.  
  
“Rey?” He dropped the hair towel from his hands, looking around urgently. “REY?” He yelled out nervously, rushing into the living area, his eyes darting around. His heart dropped at the thought of her leaving without saying goodbye.  
  
His mind scrambled to think of what he did wrong. He was sure there was something deeper between them than merely a transactional exchange of service. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He stormed back into his bedroom, before coming to a sudden stop.  
  
On the nightstand, the bundle of hundred dollar bills stood there untouched. Realization hit him like a brick. 

_FUCK!_

He ran towards the door, flinging it open. He stopped suddenly at the sight of Rey, curled down onto the floor in a ball, crying freely as the elevator doors stood open. 

“Rey…” He said tentatively, flinching as she looked up at him with pain in her eyes, her face streaked with tears.  
  
“Why did you pay me,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I thought this was something more than just a sexual exchange of goods.”

He strode up to her, water dripping on the hallway floor, and he knelt beside her, the towel parting slightly. “I didn’t mean to treat this as a transaction. I just thought I should honor my promise to you.”

She stood suddenly, causing him to jump up as well, turning her back and entering the elevator. She turned to press the button, before looking up at him.  
  
“I would have stayed for free.”

He reached his arm to stop the sliding door, causing the elevator to buzz.

“STOP! Stay. Please…. I…” he stopped to look at her, his own lips quivering as tears fell down his own face. “I love you. You make me feel whole and alive. Please...just...stay...forever.”

They stood there facing each other, the persistent buzzing of the elevator ringing in the silence.

Suddenly she pushed him back, and exited the elevator, pressing herself against him with silent sobs. They clung to each other as the doors shut behind her, closing the door on their past, the promise of a future together solid and clear. 


End file.
